Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My electorate covers more than 30,000 square kilometres, nearly half the landmass of Tasmania. And it encompasses 12 councils. I had 13, but lost two of them in the recent boundary redistribution and gained another one. So Australia Day and its awards have a special significance for me, with plenty of events and ceremonies to attend.

This year, I had the pleasure, amongst others, of attending Australia Day breakfasts at Westbury and Chudleigh, both of them in the Meander Valley Council area. I can report faithfully to the House that I attended both breakfasts but only ate at one. I am already losing the battle of the waistline in my electorate, home to so much fruit, dairy, meat, cheese, beer and spirits, without running up the white flag by scoffing two breakfasts! My congratulations to the Deloraine Rotary and the Chudleigh residents' association for these wonderful annual events, which attract hundreds of people each year.

On Australia Day we honour people with memberships of the Order of Australia and with various medals. I was delighted to see Shane Gould, who lives in the north-east coastal town of Bicheno, made a Member of the General Division. Shane's swimming achievements are legendary. As a teenager she won gold in Munich in 1972 and she has kept up her competitive swimming throughout her life. In 2003 she broke the world record for the 200-metre individual medley for 45- to 49-year-olds. Shane has been made an AM for her significant service to elite swimming and for her role in developing water safety programs in developing countries. Since moving to Tasmania, Shane has been an active community member as patron of the Devil Island Project since 2007, and founding the Devil of a Swim ocean swimming event in Bicheno in 2010.

Sandra Atkins, of Osmaston in the Meander Valley, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to equestrian sports. The list of Sandra's roles over the years is far too long to list, but what stood out for me was that she and her husband, Owen, bred The Cleaner, which was purchased by trainer Mick Burles for $10,000 and went on to earn more than $1 million in race money. The Cleaner was a great Tasmanian horse bred by two great Tasmanians.

Dr Ralph Peters, of New Norfolk, in the south of my electorate, was awarded an OAM for his services to medicine and the community of New Norfolk. He has been a practising GP since 1972 and knows and has treated just about everyone in the Derwent Valley district for 46 years. A life member and fellow of the Australian College of General Practitioners, he has a long association with the local St Matthew's church, including as an organist. That tickles my funny bone—perhaps no-one else's here. A GP who plays organs strikes me as funny and perhaps entirely appropriate.

Richard Chugg, of Relbia, in the north of my electorate, just before the Bass wall, was awarded an OAM for service to the community. His community life has included senior roles with Rotary in Evandale and Woolmers Estate in Longford. A justice of the peace since 1986, he was also president of the Liberal Party in Tasmania from 2010 to 2012. We may be on different sides of the political fence, but I do value his service to the democratic process and thank him for his community service.

Chris Draffin, of St Helens, on the north-east coast of my electorate, was awarded an Emergency Services Medal. Before moving to Tasmania in 2008, Chris played significant volunteer roles in the Northern Territory Emergency Service. He has kept up his great service as an active member of the Break O'Day SES unit and works tirelessly to improve volunteer recruitment.

Australia Day in my electorate is also a day to recognise the invaluable service of so many residents and volunteers. Being a regional electorate, we have volunteers across a vast array of organisations, from ambos, to firies, SES, Lions, Rotary, Country Women's Association and so many in between. Time prevents me naming the winners of the municipal citizens of the year, young citizens of the year and volunteers of the year across my 12 councils, but each and every one of these people deserves our thanks for the incredible work they do in our communities, across Tasmania and, indeed, across Australia.

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